I was waking up from a long sleep. That is how I felt when my conscience returned from an endless void of nothingness.

< Welcome. Initiating body restructuring. >

Restructuring my body? Why would you do that? Who are you anyway? 

< Configuring the materials. >

Eh, did you not hear my question?

< Bio mapping initiated. >

Hello?

< Synchronising data. >

There is no use in trying to communicate. I don't know how I got here. Quite frankly I don't even know where 'here' is. A complete pitch black space. I tried to recollect my memories. 

I am a tree or at least I was one. Many birds, animals and even humans made my thick branches their home. I gave them food, shelter, shade, air, everything they needed. But that feels like a long time ago. How I reached here is beyond me. And this soothing sound that I hear is something I'm not familiar with.

< Initialization complete. Transporting to an optimal location.>

Transporting? Were are you taking me?

 

I didn't get any reply and in a few moments an intense light covered me. As my vision became clearer, I realised I was inside a forest. I can see?

 I shifted my focus to my body, which I found alien-like. I am not a tree? 

That's........interesting.

The realization suddenly hit me. I'm not a tree anymore but a human. I stretched my arms and legs, the feeling of movement so new to me.

 

As a tree I couldn't think like a human nor could we move. But every tree had a subconscious mind through which it experienced the outside world. And it is because of that I knew how humans moved. I tried to mimic their way of movement but it turned out to be very difficult. But I kept trying till I started to walk quite haphazardly, if I may add.

With one step at a time I walked in one direction, the experience of moving felt very satisfying.

After a while I had reached what looked like the edge of the forest. I kept walking, not even sure of how long I had walked, to find two humans some distance away.

I was relieved to have found them, but I wasn't sure they felt the same way. They stared at me from a distance for a while, observing me probably, and when I reached them, they started to talk. 

Or that's what I think was happening, I couldn't know because I wasn't able to speak. They kept talking, sometimes gesturing at me, which I failed to grasp. Then they took out something from their backpacks and gave it to me.

I was intrigued by this and looked at it and to my surprise it was clothes. When I was a tree before, I could never actually 'see' as humans do, but I could always feel my surroundings. And because of that I knew humans always covered themselves with something. I never realized that I was naked, in human terms, because I never needed any clothes before. 

But now it would be silly if I refused to wear them, wouldn't it?

It took me some time to put them on and the couple had a strange look on their faces. They probably had a tough time believing how someone could struggle so much just to put on some clothes. 

When I was dressed they continued to ask me things. I would have been happy to answer them if only I knew how. Human language was something I didn't know so I remained silent. With no progress in getting any information from me, they gestured to me to come along which I obliged. I had to blend in with the humans and this was a good start I guess. 

In a short while, we reached a small village. The other two went inside a dwelling and called me inside with a gesture. As I entered the cozy little place, I never knew this would be my home for the foreseeable future.

And thus started my life as a human!

****

4 years later.

Now I can speak, yay. 

This was something I needed desperately. When I came to this small village, communicating with anyone was a challenge. But over time I learned their language - hokie. Quite a fascinating language if I say so myself. Hokie isn't easy to learn, but I was able to speak in bits by the first year and started to use it fluently during my second and third year of stay. 

Another interesting thing was the fact that I didn't possess an adult's body. I was 13 years, or so they say. I was small back then, but now I am almost 6 feet, which is quite tall judging by the heights of others in this village.

Talking about my adoptive parents I have to say I'm really lucky. Turns out finding strangers out in the open is a sure-shot way to get killed. But Mark and Cassey didn't want to do that to me. They wanted to take a chance with me, they said. And for that, I'm eternally grateful. I know human nature well enough to understand that they have a latent tendency to exploit things for themselves without any regard for others. But the couple here didn't, and they took me in and they have been raising me ever since. They believe I am a refugee from the countless wars that took place in the borders and never questioned further about my past.

They named me - Adrian and even asked me to call them dad and mom. Quite ironic I would say, given that I'm much older than them combined. They both were in their sixties but in their eyes, I'm still a kid I guess. And the fact that they didn't have any kids made them do so all the more. 

But that is another aspect of this village that I've found peculiar. There isn't anyone in my age. Most people are very old like my adoptive parents. 

Mark once explained to me how they were all refugees who had been on the run and had to settle here out of necessity rather than convenience. He didn't share any other details. It probably caused him much pain to remember that part of his life.

And the most important part of knowledge that I acquired was that of the existence of the System and the Labyrinth. Every single person is a part of the system is all the villagers know. Everyone has a level and according to that, you can use powers. I've known for a long time that the creatures of the surface used magic, but the source of the power and the existence of the labyrinth were a mystery to me.

Sadly none of the people here knew more about it. They never had any time to explore such details as they were always on the move.

But one of our neighbors, James said that once you start your descent into the labyrinth and kill the monsters living there, you will start to gain experience, and with those experiences, a person could level up and thus acquire more power. None of the residents of the cottage had much knowledge about the creatures of the labyrinth and so I never learned about them.

Even without entering the labyrinth, one could level up, but the process was too long and arduous. Mark was a level 4 herder and Cassey a level 5 farmer. 

 

When a person focused their mind on themselves they could see their stats, which indicates how much of their potential they have unlocked. It usually consisted of what they were, as in species or race, and also other details about vitality, mana, endurance, and will. 

But in my case, all I could see was my species.

Species - Human.

Level - 1

Nothing more. I believe it's because of my nature as a tree who was transformed into a human. Even still every human has a base stats even if they are level 1, but I didn't. But since I didn't know how to unlock them I let it be for the moment.

*****

Days passed by without any incidents. I usually spent my time helping out mom in the fields or helping dad herd the sheep. Sheep rearing was not very hard because of him. Having the class herder allowed him to have a positive impact on the growth of the herd. 

One day as I was going from my home to the plains, north of the village, I heard a shout for help. I didn't have to think twice to rush to the spot as the sound was very familiar to me, it was dad.

In a few moments, I reached the place, and to my horror, most of the herd had been butchered and the remaining few were on the run, dad guiding them back. 

Three creatures ran behind the herd and two of them looked like a wolf and a monkey had a baby, with the head of a wolf, its red fur extending to the abdomen where it changes to black. Its hands and legs were that of a monkey but much broader and stronger, from the looks of it. Its hunched position made it reach a height of about 5 feet (1.5 m). The other one was flying just above the grass and it looked like a bigger version of a falcon. Its talons were big and its wingspan was probably over 2 meters. The creatures responsible for the slaughter of the sheep were only three in number, but they were ferocious. 

I couldn't let them attack my dad. I had to act. The only weapon, so to speak, was a wooden staff that I used when herding. I sprinted with it in my arms.

"Don't come here, Adrian. Run, you idiot. Turn around and run," dad said.

I wish I could but the monsters were gaining on him quickly and if I didn't interfere he will be caught.

"I will hold them off till you are safe. I'll follow you after that," I said as I sprinted past him in the opposite direction.

Sorry, can't let you die after all you've given me.

How will I hold off these three? I had no idea. But between my dad and me, only I could do something about these creatures. 

These were monsters, I was sure, I hadn't seen anything as well as these in my many years of life. A human can't overpower any monster without leveling up. But I didn't have much choice.

The falcon brought its talons down to strike me, I had to wait till the last moment to slide down which helped me avoid the strike. I rolled over and with a quick push from my right foot I was back up. The two wolf-monkey hybrids took the chance to jump at me, aiming for the neck. It would have been a success if not for my wooden staff coming down on them with all the full force I could muster. My staff connected with one of them.

CRACK

The sound felt so satisfying that for a moment I forgot about the bite from the other.

I quickly punched the creature latching on my thigh, which dislodged its grip on my body. A long arc kick from my left leg pushed the creature back long enough for me to put my focus on the other one writhing in pain over the grass.

The unlucky bastard was bleeding from the head and it looked shaky. 

This was my chance.

I quickly closed the gap between us and brought my staff again on its head.

CRACK.

I couldn't take any chance so hit it a few more times until a sudden female voice echoed in my mind.

<You've killed a level 2 wersok>

Is that the kill confirmation from the System?

Creepy indeed.

Before I could take in the information a deep cut ravaged my back. I hurriedly turned around swinging my staff, which pushed back the falcon.

The other wersok got up and started to circle me, while the bird did so a few feet above us.

This is not good. I had a bite in my thigh and a cut on my back. I will not survive much if it goes like this. From the corner of my eye, I could see that dad had already gained good ground from us. He was headed straight for the cottage, so help would come in a few minutes. But I have to endure till then.

The wersok leaped onto me with its fangs glaring at me. I blocked it with my staff. Its momentum was enough to make me fall. It kept gnawing at the wood, which I knew wouldn't hold for long.

With all the strength I had in my legs I kicked the wersok, it rose in the air for a few seconds before landing on the ground with a loud thud.

It wasn't long but that was all I needed to bring the staff on its head. Two hits and the staff broke. And the kill confirmation hadn't come. I was desperate to finish the fight that I took the sharp edge of the staff and stabbed it through its chest. After a few struggles, it stopped.

<You've killed a level 1 wersok>

< You've gained enough experience. Congrats level up.>

< You've got....>

I didn't have time to listen to the soft voice in my head.

Okay two down, now it's time for the birdie. I stood up only to quickly duck down. And my prediction was on point. The falcon had been waiting for me to drop my guard to attack me, just like the last time. But this time I had a surprise waiting for it. I ducked my body but brought my hands up. In between my closed fingers was the stake, the other part of the broken staff. The monster falcon flew past me but not without getting it's left-wing torn.

It crash landed on the ground. The plan worked but the creature had attacked my hands with its talons along the way.

Now we both were not much different from each other in terms of damage taken. I took out its most valuable ability - to fly and in return, I was bleeding a lot.

To my relief villagers were approaching, with dad in front of them. Even in his sixties, he is quite an energetic man, I mused. Most of them were old but the way they were rushing to save me was quite heartwarming.

The creature too saw this and to my utter disbelief, it started to hop away from its impending death. 

I didn't know how long it would take for a monster to heal itself or whether it could do such a thing for that matter, but I wasn't ready to give it a chance. If it escaped it could hurt a lot of others.

"Oh no you don't," I shouted, giving the enemy a chase.

It continuously hopped away but I quickly closed the gap between us. With only a few centimeters between my outstretched hand and its body, it suddenly disappeared. And before I could make myself stop, the momentum took me forward and in a split second, I was inside a dimly lit underground cave.

"Is this the labyrinth?"